Britain's Prince William and Princess Catherine have been "enormously touched" by messages of support which have poured in since the Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis, a Kensington Palace spokesperson said on Saturday.

"The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness' message," the Kensington Palace spokesperson said in a statement.

On Friday, Catherine said she had started preventative chemotherapy after medical tests revealed she had cancer.

The video announcement comes after she was hospitalized in January for abdominal surgery.

What did Kensington Palace say?

Catherine's video statement came after her withdrawal from public view invited weeks of speculation. In the video, the princess said her family needed to be given "time, space and privacy" as she completes her treatment.

"They [the royal couple] are extremely moved by the public's warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time," a palace spokesperson said on Saturday.

Catherine had said on Friday that while her medical team initially thought that her condition was non-cancerous, tests taken after her surgery revealed the presence of the disease.

UK, world react to 'huge shock' 

Catherine said the discovery was "a huge shock," but she was "well and getting stronger every day."

Her announcement was met with an outpouring of reactions from within the United Kingdom and beyond, with many well-wishes for the 42-year-old princess.

Catherine had not been seen publicly since Christmas until a video surfaced of her with her husband, Prince William, walking to a shop near their home in Windsor.

rmt/wd (dpa, Reuters)